UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has announced it will invest $10 million to help California's Critical Access Hospitals improve their health information technology (IT) systems and adopt electronic health records.
“We are excited that UnitedHealth Group and CSRHA have teamed up to support Critical Access Hospitals, enhancing the communities and beneficiaries they serve. These funds augment investments made by our agency to assess the capacity of Critical Access Hospitals to implement, use and sustain health IT and exchange services.”
California's Critical Access Hospitals are health care facilities with a maximum of 25 beds and located in a rural area at least 35 miles from another hospital, or a rural hospital that is 15 miles from another hospital in mountainous terrain or areas with only secondary roads.
The funds will be made available from UnitedHealth Group's California Health Care Investment Program, a 20-year, $200 million commitment to health care organizations that provide services to underserved, low-income and underinsured communities and populations throughout California.
UnitedHealth Group is also providing $200,000 in grants to the California State Rural Health Association (CSRHA) to assess IT needs at California's 31 Critical Access Hospitals. Once the assessments are completed, UnitedHealth Group, with input from CSRHA, will select the Critical Access Hospitals that will receive a total of $10 million in capital from UnitedHealth Group for health IT projects.
The selected hospitals will pool together for a $10 million bond offering that will be purchased by UnitedHealth Group at rates that are highly competitive with those of conventional financing. Additionally, UnitedHealth Group's Capital Access Small Issuance Program will pay the entire bond issuance costs of about $800,000.
"We are grateful for UnitedHealth Group's grants and investments in our Critical Access Hospitals. The funds will certainly make a lasting impact in our ability to bring access to quality health care in communities that need it the most," said Desiree Rose, CSRHA executive director.
"This grant from UnitedHealth Group and subsequent investment will undoubtedly play a significant role in improving health care services provided by California's Critical Access Hospitals. This is a welcome support that will go a long way toward helping our underserved regions of the Golden State," said Raymond T. Hino, chairman of the California Critical Access Hospital Network.
"The state of California is committed to transforming our health care delivery system by adopting health IT and supporting safe, secure access to personal health information," said Jonah Frohlich, deputy secretary of health information technology at the California Health and Human Services Agency. "We are excited that UnitedHealth Group and CSRHA have teamed up to support Critical Access Hospitals, enhancing the communities and beneficiaries they serve. These funds augment investments made by our agency to assess the capacity of Critical Access Hospitals to implement, use and sustain health IT and exchange services."
"UnitedHealth Group is committed to investing in California's health care infrastructure to help ensure that all Californians have access to care," said Steve Nelson, West Region CEO, UnitedHealthcare. "California's Critical Access Hospitals play a vital role in sustaining the health and well-being of so many communities statewide. It is important that they have access to technology that will enable them to deliver quality care to their patients."
UnitedHealth Group's UnitedHealthcare business offers health benefits, including commercial and Medicare health plans, to more than 2.8 million Californians, and partners with about 50,000 physicians across the state.
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